Shoe-heel clamp



Sept- 3, 1929- P. VOLLBRECHT ET AL SHOE HEEL CLAMP Filed Nov. 28, 1928 0 I N V EN TOR.

"" J Guylielmo,

Patented Sept. 3, 1929.

PATENT UFFECE.

PAUL VOLLBREGI-IT AND JOSEPH GUGLIELMO, OF JULIET, ILLINOIS- SHOE-HEEL CLAMP.

Application filed November 28, 1928. Serial No. 322,466.

This invention relates to the art of manufacturing shoes and more particularly to a device for clamping the heel in position on the shoe upper preparatory to permanently securing same thereon.

In the manufacture of shoes and particularly Womens shoes, it has been the practice to first glue the heel in position on the upper and then, after the glue has become thoroughly dry. the heel is further secured by nailing. Considerable difficulty has heretofore been experienced in maintaining the heel tightly in its proper place in position against the shoe upper while waiting for the glue to dry. In addition to this it frequently occurs that the heel splits when it is attempted to drive the securing nails thereinto, thus necessitating the removal of the heel from the shoe and the placing of a new heel thereon with the resultant loss of considerable time and material.

One of the objects of this invention is toprovide. in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a heel clamp which is adapted to firmly hold the heel in proper position on the shoe upper while the glue thereon is drying.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a clamp of the aforementioned character adapted to engage the heel in such a manner that the splitting of said heel will be prevented when the securing nails are driven thereinto.

Another objectof the inventionis to provide, in a manner as hereinafter'set forth, a device of the character set forth which is of a construction to permit the nailing of the heel to the upper while the device isin position thereon.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide, in a manner as hereinafter set forth a clamp of the character aforementioned which may be readily adapted to heels of different sizes.

A still further objectof the invention is to provide. in a manner as hereinafter set forth,

a heel clamp having means for maintaining the shoe upper in its proper shape during the operation of securing the heel thereon.

Other objects of the invention are to provide, a heel clamp of the aforementioned character which will be simple in construction, strong, durable, efficient in its use and which may be manufactured at low cost.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from a study of the accompanying drawings taken in connection with the following specification.

In the drawings wherein like references designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the clamp in position onthe shoe.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation'thereof.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan View of same.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 14: of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a detail plan view of the clamp supporting base of last.

Figure 6 is a detail plan view of a preferred form of heel retaining saddle.

Figure 7 is detail in cross sec-tionshowing a modified form of heel saddle.

Referring to the drawings in detail reference 1 designates the rear portion of a shoe upper and 2 indicates a heel clamped in position thereon.

The device constituting this invention comprises a clamp having a supporting base or last which is adapted to fit within and conform substantially to theshape of the rear, or heel portion, of a shoe upper. This last,

' whichis indicated by the reference character 3, is of skeleton form and substantially U shaped in configuration and is provided on its upper edge with oppositely disposed outwardly extending arcuate supporting arms 5. The last 3 is adapted to fit snugly into the rear portion of the shoe upper, as shown in the drawings. The opposite walls of the last 3 are provided with forwardly directed extensions 6 which serve to give same greater bearing surface in the shoe upper in addition to supporting that portion of said upper against the heel..

Pivotally secured to the outer ends of the arms 5 by means ofpins 7 are a pair of resilient connectors or supporting springs 8. The connectors 8 are provided at one end with eyes 9 for the passage of the pivot pins 7. The opposite ends of connectors or springs 8 are provided with eyes 10 for the passage of pivot pins 11 which are mounted on the outer ends of a pair of links 12. The opposite ends of the links 12 are pivotally secured by pins 13 to the free ends of a pair of arms 14 which extend outwardly from the opposite. sides of a heel supporting frame 15. The heel supporting frame 15 is of substantially iJ-shaped configuration and has its forward ends connected by a cross bar 16. The walls of the frame 15 taper inwardly from the top to the bottom thereof, as shown in the drawings. The side walls of the frame 15 are provided, on their upper edges and near the forward ends thereof, with oppositely disposed, outwardly extending stop lugs 17, the function of which will be hereinafter set forth.

Adapted to seat within the frame 15 is a removable heel supporting element or saddle 18 of a shape substantially conforming to that of the frame 15. At its rear and on the upper edge thereof the saddle 18 is provided with rearwardly extending lip portion 19 which rests on the adjacent upper edge of the frame 15. At its forward end the saddle 18 is provided with oppositely disposed outwardly extending supporting lugs 20 which are adapted to extend over the adjacent upper edges of the frame 15 fpr the purpose of supporting the forward end of the heel saddle in the frame. The inner .wall of the saddle 18 is provided with a covering of cushioning material 21 for the purpose of protecting the surface of the heel against scratching or other damage. The protecting covering 21 may be of any suitable material, such as felt or rubber.

Extending forwardly from the links 12 and having its opposite ends rigidly connected thereto intermediate the pivot pins 10 and 13, is a substantially yoke-shaped actuating lever 22. The lever 22 extends at right angles with respect to the links 12 for a distance forwardly therefrom from which point it is provided with an offset portion terminating in a forwardly directed portion as clearly s iown in Figure 1 of the drawings.

, In the use of this invention the last 3 is positioned in the heel portion of the shoe upper in the manner shown. The lever 22 is then actuated to swing links 12 on pivots 13 to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. When this movement of the links 12 is taking place the ends of the connectors 8, which are attached thereto, swing rearwardly with the lower ends of said links. This movement of the connectors 8 is accomplished by means of the pivotal connections at the upper and lower ends thereof. At this point it will be observed that the ends of the links 12 to which the corresponding ends of the connectors 8 are secured, have been moved towards the supporting arms 5 for a distance sufficient to permit the connector springs 8 to assume their normal unstretched postion. That portion of the device which includes the links 12, lever 22, frame 15 and saddle 18 is then swung as a unit away from the bottom of the shoe upper and last 3 on the pivot 11. The heel 2 having a suitable adhesive applied to its upper end, is then positioned in the saddle 18. Thelever 22, links 12, frame 15 and thesaddle 18 having the heel therein are then swung forwardly as a unit on the pivots 11 until the surface of the heel which has been coated with the adhesive engages the bottom of the shoe upper. The heel is then properly positioned against the shoe upper and while being held in this position the lever 22 is swung from the position shown by the dotted lines in Figure 1 toward the full line position. The frame 15 carrying the pivots 13 now being held stationary, the links 12 will now pivot on said pins 13 thus swinging the ends of the links to which the connector springs 8 are at taehed away from the arms 5, which action will have the effect of stretching said springs, as will be obvious. The forward movement of the links 12 and lever 22 is Continued until arrested by the stop lugs 17 engaging that portion of the lever which is at right angles to said'links. When the lever 22 engages the stop lugs 17 the links 12 will have to swing forward on pivots 13 to apoint slightly past the dead centers thereof in which position they will be maintained by the pull exerted by the springs, as will be apparent. When in this position the pivots 7 and 18 are in substan tially vertical alignment.

The heel of the shoe is thus clamped firmly against the bottom of the shoe upper 1 The securing nails may then be driven into the heel as the use of this clamp renders it unnecessary to wait for the adhesive to dry. It is to be noted that due to the construction of last 3,

the nails may be applied without removing the clamp from the shoe, which is one of the important features of this invention; The splitting of the heel when the securing nails are driven thereinto is prevented by the saddle 18 tightly embracing the upper walls of said heel. Due to its substantially lJ-shaped configuration, the supporting last 3 exerts all of its pressure against those portions of the shoe upper which are near the edges of the heel when same is clamped thereon. In addition to this the walls of last 3 function as a support for the walls of the shoe upper and prevent said shoe upper walls from being crushed in when the shoe is being handled. In order to adapt the clamp to heels of different sizesit is onlynecessary to remove the saddle 18 and insert one of the desired size.

The modified form of heel saddle shown in Figure 7 comprises a body portion 18 of the same configuration as that of the saddle shown in Figure 6, said body portion being provided at its upper edge with an outwardlyturned supporting flange 23, which extends entirely around the body 18 and is adapted to rest on the upper edge of the frame 15 when this form of saddle is in use. Reference 21 designates a covering of cushioning material,

be understood that changes in the details of construction can be had which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is 1. A device of the character described comprising a last, resilient connectors secured thereto, and heel retaining means carried by said connectors.

2. A device of the character described comprising a last, resilient connectors pivotally secured thereto and heel retaining means pivotally carried by said connectors.

3. A device of the character described comprising a last, resilient connectors pivotally secured thereto, links pivotally secured at one end to said connectors and heel retaining means pivotally secured to the opposite'e-nds of the links.

4;. A device of the character described comprising a last, resilent connectors secured to said last, heel retaining means adapted to coact with the last for securing the heel on a shoe, and means for connecting said heel retaining means to the connectors, said last named means, in connection with said connectors, constituting means for applying and maintaining pressure on the heel retaining means.

5. A device of the character described comprising a last, resilient connectors carried by said last, and heel retaining means carried by said connectors and adapted to coact with the last to secure the heel on a shoe, said means including a frame and a removable heel saddle, said saddle being supported by said frame.

6. A device of the character described comprising a last, heel retaining means adapted to be moved into opposed relation with the last for coaction therewith to clamp the heel on a' shoe, and resilient connecting means secured to the last and heel retaining means and constituting means for moving the same into opposed relation with respect to each other and maintaining same under pressure.

7. A device of the character set forth comprising a last, resilient connectors secured to said base, links connected at one end to the connectors, a heel retaining frame pivotally connected to the opposite ends of said links and supported therebetween, and a detachable heel saddle carried by the frame, said links, in conjunction with the resilient connectors, providing means for exerting pressure on the heel frame in the direction of the last.

8. A device of the character described comprising a substantially U-shaped last adapted to fit within a shoe, resilient connectors, pivotally secured to opposite sides of said last, links pivotally connected at one end to the connectors, actuating means carried by said links, a heel supporting frame pivotally connected intermediate its ends to the opposite ends of the links, outwardly extending stop lugs carried by said heel frame adapted to engage the actuating means on the links and a detachable heel saddle supported in the frame, said connectors, links, frame and saddle in'connection with the last, constituting means for retaining a heel in position against a shoe upper under pressure.

9. A device of the character described comprising a substantially U-shaped last, outwardly extending arms carried on opposite sides of the last, resilient connectors pivotally secured to the free ends of said arms, links, having an actuating lever secured thereon, pivotally connected, at one end, to an end of the resilient connectors, a heel retaining frame, comprising a substantially U-shaped body portion having outwardly extending stop lugs for engagement with the lever, pivotally connected intermediate its ends, with the opposite ends of the links, and a detachable heel saddle adapted to fit within the frame and comprising a substantially U-shaped body portion provided with means for engaging the frame for supporting same therein.

10. A device of the character described comprising a heel retaining frame, a supporting last therefor in superposed relation thereto, and having outwardly extending arms thereon, resilient connectors secured at one end to the free ends of said arms, links secured at one end to the connectors and pivotally secured at their opposite ends to the frame at a point in substantially vertical alignment with the arms on the last, and means for swinging said links on the last named pivots.

11. A device of the character described comprising a heel retaining frame and a supporting last therefor, outwardly extending 'arms on said frame, outwardly extending 'arms on the last in superposed relation with respect to, and terminating substantially in the vertical plane of the frame arms, links pivotally connected at one end to the frame arms, resilient connectors secured at one end to the free ends of the links and at the opposite ends to the free end of the last arms 'and an actuating lever connected to each of the links for swinging said links in unison on the frame.

12. A device of the character described comprising a supporting last, and heel supporting means connected thereto, said means comprising a substantially U-shaped frame having downwardly and inwardly tapering walls and a substantially U-shaped removable heel saddle having downwardly and inwardly tapering walls adapted to fit within the frame and to be supported thereby.

13. A device of the character described comprising a last, heel retaining means adapted to coact with said last .for clamping a heel on a shoe, interconnected links pivotally secured, at one end to the heel retaining means and adapted to be swung longitudinally thereon in unison, resilient connectors secured at one end to the free ends of the links and at their opposite ends to the last, means for, arresting the longitudinal swing of the v links at a position forward of the point of 1Q means.

14. A device of the character described comprising heel retaining means having a last adapted to coact therewith for clamping a heel on a shoe upper, said last being sub-.

stantially U-shaped and ofskeleton form and adapted to fit Within the upper in a manner to permit the nailing of the heel thereto While the last is positioned therein.

In testimony whereof, We aifix our signa tures hereto. I

PAUL VOLLBRECHT. JOSEPH GUGLIELMO. 

